GRIEF TENDING & JOY SPARKING

Navigating Life After Loss - Gentle Support in Finding Your Joy Again

Grief is such a unique journey and it will take you places you never dreamed of. I thought that I could will it away, pretend I was better, and live my life like I hadn't just lost my beloved partner and best friend at the age of 55. Maybe if I could just be positive and strong, it wouldn’t hurt so much. It took me over two years to stop resisting my sadness, and to lean into my grief. It was then I discovered what I was meant to glean from this devastating loss.
American author, mythologist, and storyteller, Micheal Meade, says best what was happening for me.

“We may be closest to hearing the call when we feel most alone or in trouble, for genius hides behind the wound and one of the greatest wounds in life is to not know who we are intended to be or what we are supposed to serve in life.”
― Michael Meade, The Genius Myth

And out of that noticing came the question, and the deeper call. What am I meant to do with this experience? I now felt I could empathize with and support those dealing with deep grief, in a way I could not have done before losing my partner.
Yet, despite extensive graduate work in counseling, training as a a visionary life coach and hypnotherapist, and volunteering as a sexual assault advocate and domestic violence crisis line responder, I was not yet fully ready to share my gifts as a grief worker. I decided to formally immerse myself in learning the grief process with experts, and to understand more concretely the proven ways to support those experiencing grief and loss. 

In January 2020 I took on my first client, and subsequently completed my training with the Institute of Professional Grief Coaching. I am qualified both by way of formal studies and life experience to serve as your Grief Tender.

Tending the Spark is my offering to you, my community, and the world at large, to gently and lovingly support you during the most difficult times in your life. And, to join you, when you are ready, in fanning your spark into a growing flame of aliveness - cultivating your joy and curiosity, and reclaiming your sense of excitement and meaningfulness in this present moment.

This is my invitation: You do not need to do this grief journey alone; I am here to care for and accompany you. I am willing and able to tend your precious spark of hope, helping you uncover your strength, and renew your desire and curiosity. Why? So, you can live your life to the fullest each and every day